Traditional surface preparation for low temperature (500° C.-700° C.) selective or non-selective epitaxial growth includes an ex-situ hydrofluoric (“HF”) acid deglaze, followed by an in-situ high temperature bake (900° C. for two minutes) under a reducing ambient, such as hydrogen. The combination of these two techniques ensures surface cleanliness and surface hydrogen termination. Any residual oxide or hydrocarbon contamination may interfere with the epitaxial alignment of the deposited film with the underlying substrate. Residual oxide or hydrocarbons may result from other processing steps that may precede the epitaxial process. In addition to poor epitaxial quality, residual contamination may lead to the formation of stacking faults and other embedded defects. These defects can severely impact the materials and electrical properties of the epitaxial film being deposited. In addition, the Si surface becomes damaged during the plasma etch of Si, which occurs prior to the epitaxial growth step. Disruption of the near-surface Si lattice can also negatively impact the epitaxial growth of high quality Si.